General Colin Powell, former secretary of state, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and national security advisor, addressed nearly 900 graduates and a crowd of more than 10,000 people in attendance at High Point University's Commencement Ceremony on May 3, 2014. The ceremony was broadcast live on ABC News' website, and Powell was named by CNN as the No. 5 commencement speaker across the country in its list of top 50 commencement speakers of 2014.